The Music of Margaret Bonds and the Words of Langston Hughes

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

By Regennia N. Williams, PhD

1956 Portrait of Margret Bonds, Carl Van Vechten, photographer. Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2004662607/.
Program for the May 31, 2002 concert that included a performance of Margaret Bonds’ “The Ballad of the Brown King”

I have long believed that the study, teaching, and writing of history all give back beautiful gifts. Evidence to support this belief is readily available in the Praying Grounds Collection at Cleveland State University and in countless other library and archival collections throughout the world. Information obtained from my personal collection reminded me that my home-based RASHAD archives also contain abundant evidence of historical gift-giving.

As the end of the first week in Women’s History Month 2021 approached, I spent several joy-filled hours at home recalling events from 2002, one of my favorite years in African American cultural history. In that year, it was my great pleasure to serve as the director of Cleveland’s award-winning Langston Hughes Centennial Celebration. Hughes (1902-1967) began his writing career when he was a student at Cleveland’s Central High School. Today, I am but one of the city’s many Hughes fans.

After reviewing the printed program from one of our 2002 Hughes-related concerts, I concluded that March would be the perfect time to celebrate the creative genius of a long-time Hughes collaborator, Chicago native and award-winning composer Margaret Bonds. Born on March 3, 1913, Bonds and Hughes were the co-creators of “The Ballad of the Brown King.”

As the program notes for the May 31, 2002, “Music from the Words of Langston Hughes” concert suggested, ” The Ballad of the Brown King (1954) is a Christmas cantata for SATB chorus, solo voices, and piano, although originally scored for orchestra. Langston Hughes, commissioned by Bonds, wrote the text, the subject of which is Balthazar, one of the Magi, who had dark skin.”

My recent listening session featuring the Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra’s 2019 recording of “Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs” was at once a feast for the ears and a birthday tribute to Bonds. I couldn’t have imagined a more pleasant way to celebrate both Women’s History Month and the joy that beautiful music and poetry always bring. When your schedule permits, I invite you to listen to this recording.

Margaret Bonds: The Ballad of the Brown King & Selected Songs
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“Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities,” A February 25, 2021, Black History Month Event

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

If your schedule permits, please join me at my final public program for Black History Month. “Praying Grounds: African American Faith Communities” will focus on the evolving role of religion in Black America.

Thursday, February 25 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Virtual (via Zoom)

Hosted by Cuyahoga County Public Library

Read more at: http://attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/4866130

Thank you! –Dr. Regennia N. Williams

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New Title from AOSIS Scholarly Books

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

By Regennia N. Williams, PhD

In 2020, I had the pleasure of working with colleagues in South Africa and other nations to prepare the manuscript for Leadership for Change: Developing Transformational Student Leaders through Global Learning Spaces. After a rigorous review process, I am pleased to announce that this Open Educational Resource (OER) is now available online at AOSIS Scholarly Books. My contribution to this edited volume is chapter 8, “Race, Religion, and Reconciliation: Academic initiatives, Leadership Development, and Social Change.”

The publisher’s synopsis describes the book in the following manner:

This edited volume reveals how the journey of transformation at the University of the Free State (UFS) became interwoven with student leadership development and global learning. The UFS initiated two intersecting co-curricular programmes, namely, the First-Year Leadership for Change (F1L4C) programme in 2010; and the triennial Global Leadership Summit (GLS) in 2012. Although these programmes changed over time, their core focus remained to be the development of transformational student leaders through the creation of global learning spaces. From its inception in 2010 to the last GLS in 2018, the UFS global learning project involved 780 students and 259 staff members from 109 institutions, across four continents. The goal of this edited volume is to create a deeper understanding of how the UFS F1L4C and GLS programmes enhanced student leadership development through global learning, especially in the context of higher education transformation.

From the AOSIS website.

I invite you to download and read this book, and please encourage others to do the same.

Thank you. –RNW

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1963: A Year in the Life of a Nation — A Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Presentation by Dr. Regennia N. Williams

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

You are cordially invited to attend a free virtual event that will take place at 7 p.m. (EST) on Monday, January 18, 2021, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Hosted by the Cuyahoga County Public Library System, “1963: A Year in the Life of a Nation” will focus on this watershed year in the history of the Modern Civil Rights Movement and the work of Dr. King and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Admission is free, but space is limited. For registration information, click HERE.

The illustrated lecture-discussion will consider primary and secondary evidence from the collected papers of both men and books and other publications by and about them. Those who are planning to participate, may want to review Duke University’s online summary information on Rabbi Heschel’s collection and Stanford University’s online information about the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute.

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas and Kwanzaa

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

By Regennia N. Williams, PhD

The holiday season has arrived! Given the challenges associated with celebrating during the COVID-19 global pandemic, this year’s holiday season promises to be like nothing that we have experienced in the recent past. I am happy to know, however, that individuals and organizations near and far are planning virtual activities that promise to offer important reminders of the reasons for the Christmas (December 25, 2020) through Kwanzaa (December 26, 2020 – January 1, 2021) holiday season. I am including information below on two of my favorites. Peace, love, and joy! –Regennia

Regennia N. Williams, PhD
(Photo by Nathaniel Rhodes)

CHRISTMAS AT ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH

According to information, on the website for New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church (f. 1808), “Jesus is the reason for the season.” For more information on the activities that this African American religious and cultural center has planned for December 2020, please click HERE.

KWANZAA: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND PAN-AFRICAN HOLIDAY

In 1966, Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga established Kwanzaa, a celebration of family, community, and culture. The holiday tradition that began in California with Dr. Karenga is now celebrated by African peoples all over the world. For more information on Kwanzaa, please visit the Official Kwanzaa Website HERE

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Please Remember RASHAD on Giving Tuesday

Posted on November 28, 2020 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

Dear Friends of the Arts and Humanities,

Thank you for supporting the work of the Center for the Study of Religion and Spirituality in the History of Africa and the Diaspora, The RASHAD Center Inc. Without you, we would not have been able to produce The Traditions & Beliefs Newsletter, The Journal of Traditions & Belief, The Praying Grounds Oral History Project, and the pilot program for C-L-E Arts and Culture TV in 2019-2020, so we really appreciate your help.

Please remember RASHAD on Giving Tuesday, December 1, 2020, and throughout the month of December. We invite you to consider making a year-end donation via our Facebook fundraiser, since Facebook may be able to match your gift. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/donate/1089717998145032/.

Sincerely,

Dr. Regennia N. Williams

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Congratulations, RASHAD, on Being Recommended for Funding from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture!

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

By Regennia N. Williams, PhD

It’s not every day that the founder and director of a relatively new educational corporation gets to celebrate the receipt of good news about forthcoming funding, but Thursday, October 29th was my day to do just that!

Special thanks to the reviewers at Cuyahoga Arts & Culture for recommending that the RASHAD Center, Inc. receive support for “C-L-E / Arts and Culture TV,” an Internet-based series that will support the work of fine and performing artists –and the videographers and marketing professionals who will help us share their work with a global audience.

Thank you for the positive feedback on our 2020 pilot episode that featured the Williams Family Singers. We look forward to sharing the new episodes beginning in February 2021.

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Newsletter: From Summer Songs to Autumn Leaves

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

Fall arrived on September 22, 2020, and the RASHAD Center, Inc. is pleased to share memories of our summer activities, even as we welcome the beautiful new colors of the autumn leaves.

Here’s the link, Happy Reading!

Regennia N. Williams, PhD

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Musicians in the Family, in the Sanctuary, and on the Internet!

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

Pastor Nathaniel Williams, Jr., pianist-composer and tenor vocalist.

On July 24, 2020, the RASHAD Center, Inc. had the pleasure of working with Pastor Nathaniel Williams, Jr., the Williams Family Singers, and videographer Alexander Garrett to capture footage for the pilot project for C-L-E / Arts and Culture TV, an Internet television educational program that will air beginning in 2021.

Garrett shot the video in the beautiful sanctuary of Cleveland’s St. Adalbert / Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church.  Garrett’s company, Pano Marketing Solutions, Inc. handled the final editing, with input from the Williams Family Singers and RASHAD’s Theresa Ann Bumpers, who interviewed Pastor Williams as part of this project.

One example of the religious art at Cleveland’s St. Adalbert / Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Williams Family Singers in concert on December 1, 2019. Pictured (left to right) are Lana, Lisa, Kimberly, Irma, Joshua, and Nathaniel.

The family began singing together as children at the New Joshua Missionary Baptist Church, where their singing parents, Lonzrine and Nathaniel Williams Sr., were two of the congregation’s founding members.

Pastor Nathaniel Williams Jr., a Cleveland State University alumnus, has worked as a professional musician for 47 years, and he continues to share his music and sermons online during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The family last performed in concert at his church, Christian Light, on December 1, 2019.  Over the years, they have performed at numerous other churches and venues throughout Greater Cleveland,  including the Drinko Recital Hall at Cleveland State University and Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Orchestra. The above image of Pastor Williams and the images below of his sisters are stills from the July 24, 2020, St. Adalbert video.

Irma

Regennia

Lana

Lisa

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Summer Reads: Books and Essays by and About James Baldwin

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director

This summer, I plan to spend time reading books and essays by and about James Baldwin (1924 – 1987), the native New Yorker and boy preacher who went on to become a brilliant writer, civil rights activist, and global thought leader.  Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr.’s Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own (2020) is number one on my reading list, and Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time (1963) is a close second.  With so many other titles to choose from, I am looking forward to an incredible season of learning!

–Dr. Regennia N. Williams

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